The Dickinson press., 1887-08-20
PoLYGAMY AND OTHER CUSTOMS
AMONG THE HINDoos.
Plurality of Wives Almost Entirely Al

jured by the English Educated Natives.
No Domestic Peace for the Polygamist.
Statistics of Marriage.
PolySanly is an old institution in India,
In the ancient times %polygamy was the
general rule, and monoSamy the exception.
llindoo law givers advised ~pulygamy and
sanctioned every man to take ;s many wives
rs he could afford. During the Moslem domi-
nation the custom received IL fresh Impetus,
owing to the M~olammclans following the
same practice. When the English conquered
tue country polySamy was rampant in the
land, but when English education was i'll
troduced and it began to exercise u civilizing
effect on the minds of the people, the custom
received IL rude shock, though not n death
blow.
BY the English educated men the custom
has been almost entirely abjured. One can
scarcely meet All Indian who has received nn
education in some of the Indian universities
indulgins in the barbarous and unnatural
habit of taking more than one wife. Almost
every educated Indian thinks polygamy a
f"olishness, IL barbarity, Il sin. But the
number of educated men in India is even now
very limited. India has a vast population of
2s55,OoD, 600, and of these about 100000 ut
the utmost can boast of universal education
of any value. Among the uneducated polyg-
amy is still prevalent, but not to IL wide ex-
tent. The last census is defective, inasmucll
us it does not give the number of males who
possess more than one wife. But it can be
safely asserted that about onc-eighth of the
male population of India are observers of tho
custom of polygamy.
INTENT OF POLyGAMY.
About fifteen years ago n private attempt
was made in Il certain district in Bengal to
find out to what extent did polysamy prevail
among the better classes of the community.
The inquiry was almost thorough, and tho re-
suit was interesting. 1t was discovered that
about 1000 men had two wives, about 100
three, about 400 four, about 1G0 from five to
six, sixty men had from seven TO ten, and
one man forty. But this was fifteen years
ago, and fifteen years i'll these days of transit
ton makes n great difference. l may conf
IDENTIFY assert that ut the present moment
there is scarcely a single person, excepting
the petty rajahs, of course, who has got so
many as forty wives. The number of men
having three wives is now considerably less
than ten years ago. The humble of hus-
bands of two wives, it must he remarked,
does not seem to have decreased greatly. The
CiiuSc L Iulo 10 uiU Cuc 4lllllOo, L1iNlllS Il
belief that dying without issue is peculiarly
unfortunate, is obliged to take n second wife
when he has 10 children by the first. Again,
one would marry a second time owing to
differences with his first wife, or if she be not
according to his liking, or if suffering from
some incurablc disease.
The effects of the custom are no doubt i'll
furious to the physical and moral we'll being
of the persons concerned, and to that of the
community to which they belong. Besides,
there is no domestic peace for the man who
commits the folly of taking unto himself two
or more wives. No agreement of feelings is
eucr seen among the women who claim one
man as their husband. Perpetual discord
reigns among them, making life to their III
happy husbands simply intolerable. Lovo
potions, often containing substances d~elcteri-
GUS to health, are not unknown i'll India, and
many Hindoo wives of polygalnous husbands
| are known to have administered them to
their lords to test their love. Numerous i'll
stances have happened in which the potion,
instead of proving the husbands love, has
proved its potency i'll putting Il speedy end to
his life. Conjugal felicity is completely mi
known to the husband of several wives. But
it must be mentioned that there are cases of
exception, in which the husband is fortunate
enough to see all his wives contented with
their lot, all loving him with equal warmth,
and all cndeavoring to secure his happiness.
A%BHoRnENcE OF THE CUSTOM.
The general attitude toward the custom,
though not decidedly antagonistic, is one of
adherence. About fifteen years ago an ngi-
tation was rnised by a distinguished Hindoo
savant in order to have a law passed by gov
eminent making bigamy a crime. Many per-
sons joined the agitation and made great en-
deavors to nave the good object accom-
plished. But as the opinions of Hindu law
giyers were not all opposed to ~polygamy, and
as n party, though small, organized Il counter
agitation, the government could take no
steps. The present general opinion is that
there is no use of legislative interference, as
the custom is gradually dying out, owing to
the spread of English education among the
people. TO my mind, the general opinion on
the subject is quite reasonable.
There is not one, but many marriage Gus
toms in India. The Hindoos are divided
chiefly into three great sects, but there are
many sub-sects, and the marriage customs of
these sects md sub-sects, although agreeing
in the main, differ in many particulars. BE.
sides the Hindoos there IRE Buddhists, Janis
Silks, Mohammedans and aborigines in In.
Ola, anu the marriage customs or all these re
ligious denominations greatly differ. Among
the aborigines, again, there are several dis
tinct rites, and their marriage rites do not re
semble each other except i'll some insignii
cant particulars.
According to the latest census, which wa.
taken i'll 1881, there arc 54,224O,OS5 married
males md 81, SIS 900 married females; 5,G1S,
3S2 widowers and 20,S122,G95 widows; Will
there nre 5G. s21S .G24 single mnles and sc. O49.
1888 single felnales.-Deoghur Qndia) Cor
New Orleans Times-Democrat.
sPOOr NIamna!"